Police waiting to charge speeding deputy

We would like to clarify – that we requested the accident “investigation” report from the Shallotte Police Department Thursday – and they told there wasn’t one. In a news release from the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office earlier this week it said SPD was conducting an investigatioon of the accident.

There was also an “accident report” that we did get a copy of earlier this week. It showed where the accident happened, who was involved, and how fast she was going.

Our question for SPD is – if the department is conducting an investigation into the accident – why isn’t there documentation to show what it found?

Scott Pickey
News Director

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New information about the Brunswick County Sheriff’s deputy who wrecked her car going 100 miles per hour on US 17 in Shallotte last week.

Today we learned that not only was Samantha Lewis doing 100 where the speed limit was 60, but she was also talking on her cell phone to one of the deputies she was trying to pass. At some point the off-duty deputy lost control of her new Mustang, ran into a ditch and flipped her car for more than 400 feet.

A lot of you have written in on-line asking why Lewis hasn’t been charged yet. Shallotte Police Chief Rodney Gause explained why.

“I’ve been doing this for 27 years. I wouldn’t write nobody a citation while they’re on life support or got oxygen,” Gause said. “My heart goes out to her. My prayer goes out to her. And we’re going to treat her like anybody else. She’s not getting any special treatment. When the time’s right, that’s when we’ll do the citation.”

Gause says Shallotte Police will likely charge Lewis with careless and reckless driving, which could mean she’ll lose her licence for at least 60 days.

Lewis had to go back into surgery today. Right now her fellow officers in Brunswick County are focusing on her recovery.

The case apparently remains under investigation. We will stay on it and bring you additional details as we get them.

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Comment on this Story

Brunswick County Native

I have lived in Brunswick County my whole life and I don’t know one person in law enforcement…and not many in politics that I can say I trust or is on the up and up! The difference in a law enforcement officer and a UPS driver is the UPS driver is not going to be giving anyone a ticket for breaking the same laws he does!!! I have a few words for everyone in the GOOD OLE PARTY.

“2010 VOTE JUDAS FOR BRUNSWICK COUNTY SHERIFF”

That’s what both Ingram and Salt should have on their sign’s. Just a few short years ago both swore to uphold the Dem. party. (Sound’s like they lied to me!) Ronald may have made some wrong choices while in office but it was clear which side he’d be on.

My vote is going to Mr. Louie Lewis!!!!

I’m not so much concerned with Ms. Lewis being charged she was off duty. Who were the
deputy(s) she was passing and why was she having to drive so fast to get around them? Are they still on the tax payer’s payroll?? HUH MR. INGRAM??????

Ms. Lewis a hope you have quick recovery and I feel for you being put in the middle of this it is clearly about the election not you.

Commonsensenotcommontoday

“…I hope that she is treated the same way you or I would by the court and DMV…”

Guestomg

“and risking your life for complete strangers–even the ones on this message board.”

You have got to be joking. SHE risked ALL OUR lives by driving 100 mph on a public highway and we are suppose to THANK HER? I am just glad that no one else was injured except her. She could have killed someone, yeah then how would all you supporters react?

I am willing to BET this was not the first time she drove at excessive speeds while OFF duty either.

I Thank police officers that obey the laws they are suppose to uphold, NOT the ones that abuse their positions.

WilmMan

she deserves some time off without pay, maybe a demotion and transfer….but getting fired is a little extreme

5686

Ms.Lewis is a great Dep. She has done nothing wrong but get in to an accident. Everyone is worried about charging her but no one is worried about her well being. She needs prayers not criticism, and about the speed no one was with her and no one has heard it come out of anyones mouth about how fast she was going except speculations that Shallotte Police made of how fast she was going. Here say is a big factor in this accident! Im going to keep praying for Samantha, and her family. Please get better!

DeputiesWife83

Age has nothing to do with the training you get to become an officer!! If your 20, 30 or 40, you still go through the same training a 24 year old does! My husband is 24 and an officer. Every person is different when it comes to maturity. It’s not right to stereotype this matter. Yes, she made a mistake with talking on the phone and speeding. And should be punished just like the rest of us will. I think Sheriff Ingram will make the right decision!!
And here is a website for your questions!

Truth be known, a computer under the dash will tell the speed the car was running before, during and at impact. It also tells whether a seatbelt was worn or not. That computer tells a lot about you and your car or truck. All they have to do is reason a system check to find out. By the way…. I personally seen them drag race from traffic lights. So I fill this is a cover up…Sorry.

Guest1020

You must be 21 years old to become a Law Enforcement officer.. You must be a high school graduate and enroll and graduate from Basic Law Enforcement Training which is done through the community colleges.

I’ve been an LEO for several years and I work beside some great 21 years old men and women.. Just because they are 21 doesn’t mean they can’t do the job.. Look the military age requirement is 18 yrs old, again being prior military, I worked with some great 18-19 years old.. Even with federal law enforcement (FBI,DEA,etc) must be 21 years old..

LEO Too

When she is well, she should be charged just as any other, plus she should be fired from her job. Conduct unbecoming an officer!

guesty

She has done nothing wrong? Really?? Let’s recap. There were two other LEO’s that witnessed the accident and said she passed them while they were doing highway speed. Her car FLEW for more than 400 feet. Do a little math and even you can see she was going extremely fast.

Guest33

Deputy Lewis, thank you for answering a higher calling, taking that oath, and risking your life for complete strangers–even the ones on this message board. I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but as a Soldier and a former LEO, things like this constantly remind me that sometimes the sheep mistake the sheepdog for the wolf. Keep your head up and good luck on your recovery.

Grand Old Party

I assumed whoever the sheriff was he was on the side of the people he serves. I was unware he should only serve the dems. You seem to have a lot of concerns, maybe you should make a run for the office and stop your crying. Which side??? Wow!!

anne

She made a mistake? A mistake that may cost her life, but she could have injured or killed someone else. What she did was stupid! Hopefully she will recover and she will move on but justice needs to be served. Law enforcement has my full respect. They put their lives on the line every day so that I may be safe, but that does not excuse them from being responsible for stupid behavior. Whether they like it or not, they are held to a higher standard and their colleagues should be willing to hold them accountable instead of making excuses. If this was an “ordinary” citizen out there, they would be prosecuted and we need to hold the same standards for her.

Sarah

This officer was only 24?? What kind of education does she have? Does not seem she is old enough to be a sheriff deputy.No wonder she was speeding down the road chatting it up with her buddies.
What are the requirements to be a sheriff deputy in NC? High school diploma and BLE school? Can she have enough life experience to take on a job like this? Evidently not in this case. I do hope she recovers from her injuries and pray for her and her family,. She should be treated as any other young adult on the road.Driving is a privilege not a right. She should also be fired for her lack of professional behavior.

Commonsensenotcommontoday

The reason I remained silent was because of a similar incident about thirty-four years in my past, the only differences being that I didn’t wreck and the state trooper who stumbled upon my buddy and I and un-invitedly joined the phony pursuit we had set up to see how fast my new car would go, didn’t report it.

Reading some of these posts, you’d think that this woman should be fired and sent to prison after being placed in the stocks in downtown Shallotte for a month.

So let me give you some things to think about it.

1. Yes, law enforcement officers are a tight-knit community and sometimes on a lark, a group of officers will do something among themselves that goes awry…..exactly the same behavior you find among doctors, nurses, military, or any other people who face an incredible amount of stress, risk, and exposure to death in their day-to-day jobs.

2. If this deputy felt she was putting someone else’s life in danger, she would never have done it. I doubt she would have tried this at 5:00 PM in rush-hour traffic. She has likely driven fast in training or the performance of her duties, and thought there was little risk in attempting this passing maneuver. But this time, something went wrong….the EXACT same thing that has happened to every single one of you whoever caused an accident in your life. You thought it was routine and no problem, you had done it a thousand times, but something went horribly wrong.

3. She is already paying a severe price. She nearly killed herself and is in the hospital for a long stay. She totaled her brand new car and may face a battle trying to get the insurance company to cover it due to the publicity surrounding this case. She and possibly her fellow deputies will be facing unpaid time off. In her case, it could be as long as her driver’s license suspension. If the sheriff has a mind to, she might even be fired.

I don’t think she should be fired. Oh, she screwed up ROYALLY, and she’d be lacking about five pounds of butt and be in tears by the time I got through with her, were I here boss, but the bottom line to this entire issue is….she made a big mistake.

Now, think back to your life and tell me that you never made a mistake that you overcame and were all the better for it. I know I did. Nothing related to the fake high-speed chase, but I had another incident early in my career where I came within a hair’s width of being told, “Adios.” It was entirely my fault. Looking back on it with the wisdom of age, I probably SHOULD have been fired.

When I retired, however, I was held in high esteem and considered one of the best. I would never have reached that point if someone hadn’t given me another chance to grow up. Deputy Lewis is about ten years smarter than she was a week ago, and now knows, “Even simple things can go wrong – plan accordingly.”

In the absence of other indicators, there is no way that you can look at this one incident and conclude that Lewis has poor judgment. Sure, she did in this one incident, but does that mean the she’s a Foxtrot Uniform of no value?

I think not.

I hope she recovers without disabilities, I hope she keeps her job, I hope that she is treated the same way you or I would by the court and DMV….and I hope that the insurance company REFUSES to pay for the car and she gets hit incredibly hard in the wallet to teach her the idiocy of her actions…in this one case.

Hang in there, Lewis. Had you been in a Gran Fury instead of a Mustang, you’d be out on patrol right now. ;)

Lin

This kind of reckless behavior could have caused death or injury to innocent people in the area. Law enforcement officers should be the ones to set good examples. I hope that this young lady recovers and is kept off of the police force for the good of all our citizens.

Guest33

Yes, I am thanking her. Not for using poor judgment in this incident, but for having the courage to choose a profession that puts her at constant risk, in order to protect others. Someone has to show her that not everyone believes she is the scum of the earth. Read some of the other stories on this site. She’s speeding, gets in a single car accident, and you’d think she raped a child. Wait, there was an officer accused of that, but no one paid attention. Make sense to you? How would you feel if everyone tried to crucify you for one mistake? Get off of your thrown. “ALL OUR” lives weren’t at risk. Yeah someone could have been killed, but no one was; stop sensationalizing. As many have in the LE community have said, she’ll get her punishment; we’ve seen it all before.